St. Louis-area Congressmen split on Iraq vote

By AP/KWMU

Washington, DC – St. Louis area Congressmen were split on Thursday's vote for an Iraq war spending bill, but not necessarily along party lines.

Democrat Ike Skelton joined Missouri's four Republican Congressmen and Illinois' John Shimkus in voting for it. Democrats Lacy Clay, Russ Carnahan, and Jerry Costello voted no. Republican JoAnn Emerson did not vote.

In the Senate, the plan got yes' votes from Republican Kit Bond and Democrats Claire McCaskill and Dick Durbin. Barack Obama was the only senator from Missouri or Illinois to vote no.

The war funding bill doesn't have a troop withdrawal deadline, but it does have goals for the Iraqi government to meet as it strives to build a democratic country able to defend its own borders.

Continued U.S. reconstruction aid would be conditioned on progress toward the benchmarks, although President Bush retains the authority to order the money to be spent regardless of how the Baghdad government performs.

After the bill was passed, Bush said the Iraqi government needs to show real progress in return for America's continued support and sacrifice.

In exchange for providing the war money on the president's terms, Democrats won White House approval for more spending than the administration originally wanted. While conceding to the president on the troop withdrawal deadline, Democratic leaders in the House and Senate say they will continue fighting to change the administration's Iraq policy.

The legislation also has language that will increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour by 2009.